Special Diabetes Program
Diabetes affects more than 24 million children and adults in the U.S. The 2007 SEARCH for Diabetes in Youth Study estimates that 15,000 children and adolescents are diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in the U.S. each year. People with diabetes are at greater risk for stroke, heart attack, blindness, kidney failure, limb amputation, nerve damage, severe dental disease, and complications of pregnancy. Beyond its enormous physical toll, diabetes carries a dramatic and ever-growing economic burden. Diabetes costs the U.S. economy $174 billion per year in medical costs, and nearly one-third of every Medicare dollar is spent on people with diabetes. The annual healthcare care costs for individuals with diabetes are 2.3 times higher compared to those without the disease.
In 1997, the congressionally-mandated Diabetes Research Working Group (DRWG) report cited serious limitations in diabetes research in general, and for type 1 diabetes in particular, largely due to inadequate funding. The report urged Congress "to increase significantly the nation's investment to conquer this disease." Congress responded by creating the Special Diabetes Program and the Special Diabetes Program for Indians, making funds available for type 1 diabetes research and for diabetes treatment and prevention initiatives targeted to American Indian and Alaska Native populations.
These programs have demonstrated tangible results and become a critical part of our nation's federal investment in diabetes research, treatment, and prevention efforts. The program has created significant research opportunities that are helping to improve the lives of those living with type 1 diabetes, prevent onset of the disease in others, and bring us closer to a cure for this costly and growing disease.
The Special Diabetes Program is now funded at $150 million per year through FY2011 for each of its two parts. It must be renewed this year to continue large-scale clinical trials, proactively plan next steps to maximize research opportunities, and effectively allocate research dollars. By renewing the program this year, Congress will ensure continued progress and prevent a reduction in federal research funding of approximately 35%. Such a reduction would total federal support for type 1 diabetes below FY2004 levels.
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